In the introduction to The Story of American Freedom, author Eric Foner explains that the book is a history of freedom in America. It is “a tale of debates, disagreements, and struggles rather than a set of timeless categories or an evolutionary narrative toward a preordained goal” (xiv). Foner argues that he does not view freedom as a fixed category or predetermined concept, but rather as an “essentially contested concept, one that by its very nature is the subject of disagreement” (xiv). Because of the contested nature of the concept of freedom during various periods of American history, the meaning of freedom has constantly shifted. Its meaning has been used both to challenge and reinforce the status quo at different times (xvi).

Foner also lays out the three interrelated themes which his book centers on: the meanings of freedom; the social conditions that make freedom possible; and the boundaries of freedom (xvi). The first theme concerns how Americans have understood the meaning of freedom. This understanding consists of three dimensions: political freedom, which is the right to participate in public affairs; personal freedom, which is the ability to make individual choices; and economic freedom, which concerns personal economic matters.